Stand for dress forms and the like



y 1951 R. F. PALMER 2,552,811

STAND FOR DRESS FORMS AND THE LIKE Filed April 23, 1946 IN V EN TOR.

B'Y fizz via painter ATTOIQNEY Patented May 15, 1951 STAND FOR DRESSFORMS AND THE LIKE Ralph F. Palmer, Montclair, N. J., assignor to TheSinger Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of NewJersey Application April 23, 1946, Serial No. 664,243

This invention relates to stands for dressforms and the like, and moreparticularly for dress-forms comprising hollow shells conforming to thecontours of human models.

The invention has as its primary object to provide an improved standfacilitating the mounting thereupon of hollow dress-forms of variousshapes, sizes and proportions, and insuring a firm support for thedress-form mounted upon the stand. More specifically, the invention aimsto provide a dress-form stand requiring a minimum of adjustment thereofto adapt the stand for use with hollow dress-forms of different sizesand postures.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a stand of thisnature, simplified and improved means for simultaneously locking, intheir adjusted positions, all of the adjustable arms which engage thelower portion of the dressform and which hold the form against lateralmovement.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved neck-frame forthe stand which will accommodate the entire range of neck sizes andwhich will automatically adapt itself to the particular angle orinclination of the neck portion of each individual dress-form placedthereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stand of this naturewhich is more stable than those heretofore provided; which is neat inappearance and which is of low cost of manufacture.

A still further object is to provide a stand of this nature which is soconstructed that it is adapted to be disassembled and packed intorelatively small compass for the purpose of transportation and storage.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear,the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements ofparts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawingsof a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the severalfeatures of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved stand,

engage the lower portion 11 Claims. (01. 223-420) Fig. 3 is an enlargedvertical section of the mid-portion of the improved stand, showing moreparticularly the means for clamping the dressform engaging arms inadjusted positions, the means for effecting vertical adjustment of thestandard and the means for locking the upper portion of the standardagainst rotation relative to the lower portion thereof.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an under side view of the hub portion of the standard baseillustrating the means for securing the lower portion of the standardand the three legs of the base in said hub portion.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the clamping elements for thedress-form supporting arms.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the improvedneck-frame showing it supported for universal adjustment on the upperend of the standard.

Fig. 8 is a still further enlarged sectional view of the neck-frametaken on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the invention is disclosedas embodied in a stand comprising a base B, an upright standard s,supported by the base, a dress-form supportin neckframe N adjustablymounted upon the upper end of the standard and a vertically andhorizontally adjustable dress-form skirt-support D secured upon thestandard and adapted to engage the inner surface of the skirt portion ofa dress-form F to hold the latter against lateral movement.

The base comprises a substantially cylindrical hub member I, preferablyof solid metal and weighing in the neighborhood of six pounds. The hubmemberis formed with a central bore 2, adapted to receive the lower endof the outer tubular member 3 of the standard S, and three pairs ofvertically spaced radial sockets 4 adapted to receive the opposite endportions 5 of three bent metal legs 5. The member 3 is maintained in thebore 2 by a set screw 6 threaded radially inthe hub I, while the legs 5are held in the hub i by set screws 7 threaded into the lower end of thehub and bearing against the lowermost end portions 5 of the legs. Due tothe weight of the hub I and its location at the bottom of the standardand close to the axis thereof, together with the substantial spread ofthe three legs 5, the entire stand is extremely stable, even whenadjusted to its uppermost position.

The standard S is made of two major parts, vis. the tubular member 3 anda rod 8 telescopically mounted therein. At its upper end the rod bysoldering or welding. A socket is provided for the ball 9 by twowire-loops 1.4 and i embrac-- ing and secured to the upper ring memberID and extending substantially centrally thereacross. The lower straightlimbs [4 and 15 of the loops M and I5 are resilient and are so.

spaced as to permit the ball 9 to be inserted therebetween after whichthe. bars assume the, position shown in Figs. 7 and 8'. The upper limbsof loops is and 55 are bent upwardly asat a: to

overlie the ball 9. Thus the neck. frame uni-- versally mounted on thestandard s and may adapt itself to the particular angle or inclinationof the neck-portion n of any individual dressfor'm placed thereon; Theneck-frame; is of. tapered form and, is of such length and of suchdiameters at its opposite ends'as to accommodate the entire range ofneck sizes.

' As above stated the rod 8 is telescopically mounted in the tube-3. Therod 8 and. the dressform carried thereby maybe adjusted vertically, atwill, and maintained at. any desired elevation. This is effected by aclamp device designated generally as C, which, as shown most clearly inFigs. 3.and; 4, comprises a sheet metal membe c generally C-shaped in:vertical section and includingl'ower and upper. disk-like portionsl 5and IT, respectively, and an intermediate connectmg portion 13,substantially U-shaped; in cross section. The portions i6. and H, are:provided with flat-sided apertures 16*, H which, as shown in Figs. 3 and4, are slidingly fitted upon the rod 8- which. also is provided withflat sides 8 The. engagement of the fiat sides of the apertures [6 l'l.with the fiat'sides of. the rod8 prevents relative rotation between therod andthe clamp member 0.

The disk It isformed. with a plurality of peripheral notches lfi adaptedto be engaged by the upper. end" portion it of an L-shaped latch leverl8 fulcrumed on a stud I9 carried by a bracket 2b, welded or otherwisesecured to the A coil.

tube 3" adjacent the upper end thereof. spring 2!. engaging the bracketand the latch leve lbnormally maintains the lever in engagement with oneof the notches W, as shown mostclearly in Fig. 3. The latch lever, I8 isalsoformed with a portion W adapted to be grasped between the thumb andfinger of a user to swing thelatch lever downwardly, in opposition tothe spring 2|, to release the lever from the disk I6. thereby to permitrotation. of the rod 8, and thedress-form carried thereby, relative tothe base Band tube 3;

The rod 8: and the dress-form F are normally held against verticaladjustment by a pair of clamping. levers 22 apertured at 22 to receivethe rod 8. and having their ends 22, projecting through and. fulcrumedin slots in the portion I 8- of' theclamp member 0. The levers 22 are,nor-- mally biased away from each other by a coil.

As hereinbefore stated, the lower or skirt portion of the dress-form isadapted to be engaged by a device designated generally as D to hold thedress-form in the proper vertical position and prevent lateral movementthereof. This device comprises two pairs of transversely arrangedadjustable supports and s, the former being adapted to, engage theinside of the. dress-form from front to back and the latter beingadapted to engage the inside of the form from side to side. Improvedmeans are provided for adjusting this device vertically on the rod 8 toaccommodate dress-forms of difierent lengths and to clamp theform-engaging arms; in their various positions of adjustment. Thisdevice includes a sleeve 24 (Fig. 3) slidingly mounted on the rod 8 andhavingits exterior threaded, as at 24, to receive a clamp nut 25. TheloWer end portion of the sleeve is tapered and split, as indicated at 26to form, in efiect, a three-jaw chuck. The lower end; of the nut- 2-5.is correspondingly tapered as at;2 5 Thus screwing-of the nut:upwar.dlyon the; sleeve 24 causesthechuck-jaws tobe deflected inwardly, therebycausing them to grip the rod- 8 and thereby lock the entire device D" tothe standard.

The dress-form supports 1 ands are similar in construction and differonly in thelength thereof, the side-to-side' support 3 being somewhatlonger than. the front-to-back support).

Each of the supports f. and; s comprises two. identical U-shaped membersM each having. one ofits. legs; in the. form of a tube*2:l and its.other. leg as a solid bar 28, the outside, diameterof. which is slightlyless than, the. inside-diameter of the tube. The members M are.assembled withthesolid leg 28'of, one inserted into the tubular leg 2-?of the;other, thus' producing a substantially rectangular frame; whichis adjustable as to length.

The dress-form supports 1 and s are secured to thestandardS and held intheir adjustedp-osition by a clamp device comprising upper and lowerstamped sheet metal clamp members 29and 30 having uppermost pairs ofopposed arcuate clamp jaws 29 an'd'3il respectively, adapted to gripbetween. them the tubular legs 2?! of the support s and lowermost pairsof opposed arcuate clamp-jaws 29 and 30*, respectively, adapted to gripbetween them the tubular legs 2? of the support 1.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 the upper clamp member 29' isriveted or otherwise secured, at t, upon thegupper end of the sleeve.2.4. The lower clamp member 30- isformed with a central aperture 30through. which the upper end portion of the sleeve 24 extends. The clampmember'i'lflrests upon theupper. end of a clamp nut 3ltthreaded.onsleeve 24., and when that nut is screwed upwardly on the sleeve it,forces the clamp member upwardly relative to. stationary clamp member29. thus simultaneously clamping allof the tubular members 21. ofskirt-support D. When the nut 3| is loosened thetelescoping ele-- mentsof'the skirt-supports may be adjusted endwise, for example, as indicatedin dotted lines in Fig. 2, to cause the outer ends of those elements toengage" the inner surface of the skirt portion of the dress-form andhold the form against lateral movement. The amount of endwise adjustmentprovided between the members 27 and 28 of the supports 1 and s issuificient to;accom modate the entire range of dress-form. sizes.

The stand readily may be disassembled, for the purpose of shipping,storing etc., by merely removing the neck-frame; withdrawing the bars 28of the members M from the tubes 21' of the complemental members M;withdrawingthe rod;

8 from the tube 3; and finally loosening the set screws 6 and 1 andremoving the tube 3 and legs 5 from the hub I. When so disassembled thecomponent parts of the stand may be packed in a relatively small space.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that this invention has providedan improved stand for dress-forms and the like, which is simple inconstruction; efficient in operation; easy of adjustment; which willaccommodate the entire range of dress-form sizes; and which may bemanufactured and sold at a relatively low price.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis:

In a stand for dress-forms and the like, having a base, a standard, andmeans on the standard for supporting a dress-form; means engaging thelower portion of the dress-form for preventing lateral movement thereofrelative to the standard comprising a plurality of lengthwise adjustablearms carried by said standard and a single clamp means forsimultaneously securing all of said arms in their adjusted positions.

2. In a stand for dress-forms and the like, having a base, a standard,and means on the standard for supporting a hollow dress-form;

means carried by the standard and engaging the inner face of the lowerportion of the dress-form to hold the dress-form against lateralmovement relative to the standard comprising a plurality of pairs oftransversely arranged and lengthwise adjustable arms, a pair of clampelements engaging all of said arms, and a single screw device acting onone of said clamp elements to cause said clamp elements simultaneouslyto grip all of said arms to hold them in their adjusted positions.

3. In a stand for dress-forms having a standard and means on thestandard for supporting a dress-form; a base for supporting saidstandard and comprising a relatively heavy, vertically disposed andsubstantially cylindrical hub member formed with an axial socket adaptedto receive the lower end of the standard and a plurality of pairs ofupper and lower radially and horizontally disposed sockets equallyspaced about said hub member, a plurality of bent metal leg members eachhaving horizontally arranged and parallel opposite end portions fittedinto a pair of said sockets and floor-engaging foot portionsintermediate said end portions, and set screws threaded into said hubmember and bearing on said standard and said leg members for holdingsaid standard and leg members in said sockets.

4. In a stand for dress-forms having a base, a vertical standardsupported by said base, and means at the upper end of said standard forengaging and supporting a hollow dress-form; dress-form steadying meanscarried by the standard and engaging the inner surface of the lowerportion of said dress-form comprising a pair of complemental U-shapedmembers each having legs of unequal diameters, the larger leg of eachmember being tubular and the smaller leg being telescoped into thelarger leg of the complemental member; and means carried by the standardfor securing said members in their adjusted positions.

5. In a stand for dress-forms having a base, a vertical standardsupported by said base, and means at the upper end of the standard forsupporting a hollow dress-form; dress-form holding means carried by thestandard and engaging the inner surface of the dress-form for holdingthe dress-form against lateral movement relative to the standardcomprising a sleeve mounted on said standard, a first clamp platefixedly secured to said sleeve and provided with a pair of stationaryclamp-jaws, a second clamp-plate slidingly mounted on said sleeve andhaving clamp-jaws complemental to the first named jaws, a pair ofU-shaped dress-form-engaging members, having a telescopic connectionwith each other, located between said stationary and movable clamp-jaws,and means for effecting relative movement between said clamp plates tocause said clamp-jaws to grip said members.

6. In a stand for dress-forms, a dress-form holding means as set forthin claim 5 in which the sleeve which carries the clamp-plates isexteriorly threaded and has one end-portion split to form chuck-jaws,and in which a nut threaded on said sleeve compreses said chuck-jaws tocause them to grip the standard to hold the dress-form-engaging membersat various elevations on said standard.

'7. In a stand for dress-forms, a dress-form holding means as set forthin claim 5 in which the clamp plates, carried by the sleeve mounted onthe standard, are provided with two sets of complemental clamp jawsarranged at different elevations; in which two pairs of telescopicallymounted dress-form-engaging members are fitted into said clamp-jawsperpendicular to each other; and in which a single means causes saidclamp-jaws to grip all of said members simultaneously.

8. In a stand for dress-forms, a dress-form holding means as set forthin claim 5 in which the means for causing relative movement between theclamp plates, to cause them to grip the dress-form-engaging members,comprises a nut threaded on the outsideof said sleeve and engaging themovable clamp plate; and in which a second nut threaded on said sleevehas a tapered bore which engages the sleeve to constrict the sleeve andcause it to bind upon the standard.

9. In a stand for dress-forms, a dress-form holding means as set forthin claim 5 in which the standard is formed of a tubular member securedin the base and a rod telescopically mounted in the tubular member; andin which the sleeve which carries the dress-form holding means isslidingly mounted upon and adapted to be secured to said rod.

10. A stand for dress-forms and the like comprising a base; a verticallydisposed standard rising from said base; and a rigid neck-frame oftruncated conical form supported for universal movement on the upper endof said standard and adapted to fit into the neck portion of adressform, the smaller end of said neck-frame being only slightly lessin diameter than the smallest neck portion of any dress-form to beplaced thereon, and the length and the greater diameter of saidneck-frame being substantially twice the smaller diameter thereof,whereby the neckframe is proportioned to accommodate the entire range ofneck sizes of dress-forms adapted to be placed thereon.

11. A stand for dress-forms and the like comprising a base; a verticallydisposed standard rising from said base; a substantially spherical 7 8balliseouredaupon the-upper end, of said standard; V REFERENCES CITED:-Wlre nack'fmme" truncated conical form The following references are ofrecord in the having upper and lower end rings andintermediof thispatent; ate-wiresconnected to said end rings; and a pair of spaced apartWire loops extending across the 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS upper end ofsaid'neokrframe and secured there- Number Name Date to, theupperportions of said loops overlying and 991,241 Rae V V May 2, 1911 restingupon said. ball to support said-neck-frame 1,272,678 Kroll July 16, 1918thereof and the lower portions of said loops re- 1,450,4 Freshour et a1.Apr. 3, 1923 siliently engaging said ball below the center there- 101,591,110 Willson July 6, 1926 of. ,284,967 Ray et a1. June 2, 19422,341,424 Chason r Feb. 8, 1944 RALPH F. PALMER. 2,367,171 KIiOll Jan.9, 1945

